Overcoming Adversity to Provide Quality Patient Care
Supporting a Family from Qatar with Long-Term Patient Relocation During the Pandemic
The Challenge
A family from Doha, Qatar, needed to travel to London so their youngest son could receive treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital. This was their second trip during the global pandemic, and this time they required long-term accommodation in England to stay with him throughout treatment.
The pandemic created multiple complications. Constantly changing international rules and regulations meant that every journey required last-minute adaptations. The family also faced a mandatory seven-day hotel quarantine on return to Doha. Doctors feared this period would put the child at risk, as he required daily monitoring and treatment.
To further complicate matters, the patient’s mother’s visa had expired, delaying their return. Without effective patient relocation, there was a real risk that the child could have missed critical treatment, and continuity of care would have been disrupted.
The Solution
mdgroup acted quickly to deliver safe, reliable, and personalized relocation support.
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Human connection: We secured the same long-stay apartment the family had used on their first trip to London in October 2020, giving them comfort and familiarity in a stressful time.
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Agility: Our travel team extended accommodation and rebooked flights four times as COVID rules and quarantine requirements shifted.
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Ingenuity: We expedited the mother’s visa renewal by making daily calls to government agencies and Qatar’s Department of Public Health.
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Quality: We adapted travel and timing to ensure the child remained well enough to safely complete the mandatory quarantine on return.
The Outcome
With mdgroup’s support, the family remained in London for 132 days, and the child received uninterrupted treatment. Despite fluctuating quarantine guidelines, travel rules, and visa issues, we managed every logistical detail, enabling the family to focus on their child’s health rather than paperwork and travel complications.
This case demonstrates how patient relocation in clinical trials not only safeguards retention and continuity but also reduces burden on families and ensures patients can access life-changing treatments safely.
Families in clinical trials face many challenges that sponsors and sites don’t always anticipate. At mdgroup, we actively ease that burden by arranging travel logistics and providing consistent support throughout the journey.
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mdgroup specializes in personalized patient relocation in clinical trials, ensuring patients and families receive the travel, accommodation, and logistical support they need to remain engaged.
Partner with us to safeguard retention, ease site burden, and protect the integrity of your clinical trial, while delivering truly remarkable patient experiences.
